Confusion about the perpetrator

Shots fired in Linz: new suspect wanted

The shots were fired in this silver BMW.(Bild: FOTOKERSCHI/WERNER KERSCHBAUMM, Krone KREATIV)

A bang around the shooting in Linz. The previous week, there were wild scenes in the Neue Heimat when an argument between two men escalated. A 38-year-old Chechen was injured and initially identified the alleged perpetrator. But now everything is different.

It was a convoluted story right from the start. There was a showdown in Benzstraße in the Neue Heimat district shortly before 11 a.m. on Tuesday. After an argument over money - according to the victim's later statement - another man allegedly pulled out a gun and fired.

But not the perpetrator
The 38-year-old Chechen was seriously injured, the perpetrator fled. The victim later claimed to have identified a 43-year-old Syrian as the perpetrator. However, the Chechen remained vague and after further questioning he retracted everything. The Syrian was not the perpetrator after all. How could that be? The perpetrator and the victim obviously did not know each other, the Chechen was supposed to collect money owed but only had a telephone number.

New suspect
The 43-year-old himself also conjured an alibi out of a hat, stating that he had been working. "The 38-year-old was then shown six photographs, in one of which he recognized the alleged perpetrator," says Reinhard Huemer-Steiner, spokesman for the Linz public prosecutor's office. But now things are getting really complicated: although the authorities have a picture of the man, they don't know who he is.

Mystery surrounding ID picture
"The picture is from an ID card, there is a name, but it could be an alias", says Huemer-Steiner. But they don't want to say any more at the moment anyway, as they are now looking for the suspect.

The 43-year-old Syrian has since been released as there is no longer sufficient suspicion.